Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Since the early 1990s, he has toured under his own name.
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014.
The music of Minnesota began with the native rhythms and songs of Indigenous peoples, the first inhabitants of the lands which later became the U.S. state of Minnesota. Métis fur-trading voyageurs introduced the chansons of their French ancestors in the late eighteenth century. As the territory was opened up to white settlement in the 19th century, each group of immigrants brought with them the folk music of their European homelands. Celtic, German, Scandinavian, and Central and Eastern European song and dance remain part of the vernacular music of the state today.
Atmosphere is an American hip-hop duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota, consisting of rapper Slug and DJ/producer Ant. Since its formation in 1996, the group has released thirteen studio albums and ten extended plays.
Micheal David Larsen, better known by his stage name Eyedea, was an American musician, rapper, and poet. He was a freestyle battle champion and songwriter from Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Heiruspecs is a live hip hop band based in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their name is a deliberate misspelling of the word haruspex, which is a Roman term for a person trained to practice divination from the inspection of entrails.
Ali Douglas Newman, better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective. He has released seven albums, four EPs, and a number of singles and collaborations.
The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party's convention fell on Labor Day, the last day of the popular Minnesota State Fair, though because of Hurricane Gustav, this day was mostly a call for action to help victims and formal, required activities; most of the politicking and partying did not start until Tuesday, the second scheduled day.
Stefon Leron Alexander, better known by his stage name P.O.S, is an American hip hop artist from Minneapolis. He has been a member of groups such as Doomtree, Building Better Bombs, Gayngs, Marijuana Deathsquads, Cenospecies, Four Fists, and Shredders.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a period of time due to Hurricane Katrina, but the band continued to tour.
The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier, his brother Keith Frazier, Kermit Ruffins, and classmates from Joseph S. Clark Senior High School, which closed in the spring of 2018, in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. Arhoolie released its first album in 1984.
John Brown's Body is an American eight-piece reggae and dub band based out of Ithaca, New York and Boston, Massachusetts. They have been together for two decades and have been hailed as "Future Roots, Reggae and Dub with an intricately balanced weaving of vocals, percussion, keyboard, bass, guitar and a stunning three-piece horn section that ties it all together" (WRUV). John Brown's Body is building "a legacy that has inspired and carved a path for the now thriving contemporary American reggae scene" .
The Anti-War Committee (AWC) is a grassroots political organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that wants to end U.S. intervention.
Groundation is an American roots reggae band with jazz and dub influences, from Sonoma County in Northern California. It is named for Rastafarian ceremony of Grounation.
Twin Cities hip hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip hop, is sub-genre of rap music that originates from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
Troy Andrews, also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is a musician, most notably a trombone player, from New Orleans, Louisiana. His music fuses rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop.
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period, including Bob Marley & The Wailers, on their first single "Simmer Down." They reformed in 1983 and have played together ever since.
Face Candy was an American improvisational jazz rap group by led rapper Eyedea in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The group released one album, This Is Where We Were, in 2006. The initial lineup on the album consisted of Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, J.T. Bates, and Casey O'Brien until Eyedea's sudden death in 2010. The group released a second album in 2011, Waste Age Teenland.
The Soul Rebels are an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that incorporate elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music within a contemporary brass band framework.
Assata Perkins, known professionally as Sa-Roc, is an American rapper. In 2016, she became the second female rapper to sign with the Rhymesayers label.
